AAA predicts 44.2 million Americans will hit the road for Fourth of July weekend
EMERYVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- The Fourth of July weekend is here and millions of Americans are getting away for the holiday. Whether you travel by road, rail or sky, prepare for crowds.
Fourth of July travelers -- you are in good company. AAA predicts 44.2 million Americans will go at least 50 miles from home. That's up almost 3 percent from last year.
RELATED: Don't hit the road at these times to avoid July 4 holiday traffic jams
"My kinds wanted to go on a vacation, so we're going to Hawaii for the first time," said Richmond resident Karina Powell. When asked how she feels about it, she said, "Terrified."
Powell is scared of planes but she doesn't mind the crowds. "I'm excited to get away for a while," she said.
Adventure waits for Patrick Schoeps and his puppy, Charlie, as well. They're road tripping to Portland. "I'm going to drive Charlie and I up there pretty much all day tomorrow," he said.
Schoeps is mentally gearing up for gridlock on his journey north. "I'm used to long drives, but just getting up really early and trying to hit the road, get ahead of traffic a bit," he said.
LIST: Bay Area Fourth of July fireworks and festivities
Others are opting out of holiday travel entirely.
"I'm actually just going to stay home and do nothing and just avoid the rush hour traffic," said Emeryville resident Erika Evearitt. "Everyone else will be out there and I'll just be at home relaxing."
She's got a point. The folks at Waze, the popular traffic app, analyzed Fourth of July traffic patterns and they found the worst time to drive is Friday between 2 and 4 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and Monday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Tuesday between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
So the best thing you can do if you have to travel during those peak times is to stay safe and enjoy the ride.
